Appeal No. 1997-0012
Application No. 08/174,901
mailpieces in a predetermined path of travel having a
downstream direction, each of the mailpiece[s] having a
leading edge and a trailing edge in the path of travel, each
of the mailpieces including an outer surface having a
plurality of blocks of data marked thereon, each of the
mailpiece outer surfaces having a longitudinal length thereof
extending upstream from the leading to the trailing edge
thereof [and] having a transverse length thereof extending
transversely of the longitudinal length;
b. a digital computer;
c. means electrically connected to the computer for
obtaining a digital bit map image of the outer surface of at
least one of the mailpieces, the image obtaining means
including means for unidirectionally raster scanning the
mailpiece outer surface under the control of the computer, the
image obtaining means including means for sequentially
providing a plurality of scan lines of data to the computer,
the scan lines respectively extending parallel to one another
and transversely of the longitudinal length of the mailpiece
outer surface, each of the scan lines including a sequence of
a plurality of pixels of data respectively corresponding to a
bit of a black and white scale of bits, each of the scan lines
having a different first coordinate code assigned thereto for
identifying a location thereof longitudinally of the length of
the mailpiece outer surface, each of the pixels of any given
scan line having a different second coordinate code assigned
thereto for identifying a location thereof transversely of the
longitudinal length of the mailpiece outer surface, whereby
each pixel has a different combination of first and second
coordinate codes uniquely identifying the location thereof on
the mailpiece outer surface and all of the pixels correspond
to a bit map image thereof; and
d. the computer including means programmed for:
i. finding individual runs of a plurality of black
bits of each scan line and determining whether any bit of each
individual run neighbors at least one black bit of another
scan line;
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007